Ellsworth officer pulls man from burning car

ELLSWORTH, Maine — A local police officer is being credited with rescuing a Tremont man early Sunday morning by breaking the rear window of a burning car and pulling him to safety.

Around 6:35 a.m. Sunday, Ellsworth police received a call about a car that had driven off Bayside Road and was beginning to burn with the driver still inside. Sgt. Glenn Moshier said bystanders at the scene had been unable to get the car open.

Officer Andrew Weatherbee used his collapsible baton to shatter the vehicle’s rear window. Weatherbee then was able to pull the man — identified as 33-year-old Shaun Parsons of Tremont — from the car as the flames spread, Moshier said.

Moshier said he has little doubt Parsons would have been severely burned and possibly died in the fire had Weatherbee not acted as quickly as he did.

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“The vehicle was in flames when he got there,” Moshier said. “And the flames, at that point, were entering the passenger compartment of the vehicle.”

Although Parsons was injured in the crash, he did not appear to have been burned, Moshier said.

Moshier said Parsons’ car appears to have veered off Bayside Road for an unknown reason and rolled over. He said speed may have been a factor, although the crash remains under investigation.

Parsons eventually was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for treatment. Moshier said his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.